Held hostage for 32 months, Indian sailors return home

Five Indian sailors, who had been held captive by Somali pirates for nearly 32 months on board the cargo ship MV Iceberg, returned home on Saturday.

The rescued sailors reached the IGI airport in New Delhi on Saturday afternoon and were received by External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, according to an IBN-Live report said.

Image from IBN-Live.

Indian officials, accompanying five Indian sailors freed from Somali pirates, also lent a helping hand to two Pakistani seafarers who were also onboard the hijacked cargo ship

In a humanitarian gesture, the aircraft sent to bring back the Indians "also brought along the Pakistani seafarers till Salalah in Oman, the last stop of the aircraft outside India", said informed sources on Saturday.

The IBN-Live report quoted Khurshid as saying, "We have worked in a step-by-step manner and proceeded with the operation quietly and successfully and rescued them along with the Pakistani sailors."

Khurshid also said the Indian officials accompanying the five had also taken along with them two Pakistani seafarers who had been freed.